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Autlfor of "lEmbrra"— "Abb AUalf. Qlearljpr, iffaler*' 
— "JCttnm 2IIjd0fir' — "3fa« to 3Farf"— "®nrf upon a 
JTimr" anb "Sun ©trt SoorB anii ffinnfe Up". 



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Gci 27 1::3 



©Ci,A601127 



1. Abd Allah, the Potter - 9 

2. Prayer - - - - 15 

3. The Perfect Man - - 19 

4. Abd Allah's Philosophy - - 23 

5. The Man Who Resisted - 27 

6. The Woman Who Was Poor - 33 

7. Jethro's Song - - 39 

8. The Power of Silence - - 41 

9. The House That Stood in Darkness 45 

10. Love - - - - 51 

11. The Man Who Lost A Friend 59 



faff 

Wuittv (H. Hangott 

®arti;agr. Aiaoaurf 



1st Edition 


- 


- 


1917 


2nd " 


- 


- 


1918 


3rd " 


. 


. 


1920 



Published by 
^aak Sc Art S>ifap 

414 Merrill Bldg. 
Milwaukee, Wis. 



Mh AUd|, t\\t potter 



HlND the sun streaming in through the east- 
ern window awakened Abd Allah, the pot- 
1^1) ter. He stretched his lithe, muscular body 
luxuriously and, rubbing his eyes, sat up. 
The boy Jethro lay wrapped in slumber, his harp 
close at hand. 

"Jethro, Jethro," called Abd Allah, " 'tis morn! 
Get thee to the well and fetch up the water for 
the morning meal," 

Jethro got sleepily into his picturesque costume 
of crimson with its heavy blue silken sash. He 
was a happy type of youth, a true son of the 
orient, his skin the color of copper and his raven 
locks matted in curls to his well-shaped head. 
Some years before Abd Allah had found him beg- 
ging in the streets of Jerusalem, and had taken 
him home. Of his early life little was known, 
save that at one time he lived on a boat which 
sailed the Nile. And it was upon this boat that 
an old sailor had taught him to play the harp. 
His voice, which was natural and clear, had a 
warmth of expression seldom found in an un- 
trained singer. 

Pushing aside the heavy curtain of woolen stuff 
that covered the doorway of their abode, Abd 
Allah stepped into the outer court and raised his 
eyes to the eastern heavens. It was a new day 
and the sky was a mass of gold and crimson, shot 



with the palest mauve. "The heavens declare 
the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth 
His handiwork," breathed Abd Allah. There was 
a thrill in his voice as he repeated it ; he felt the 
impetus of the new day creeping over him and 
thus he reasoned: 

It is a new day, fresh from the hands of God, 
and I am a new man (idea) fresh from the hands 
of God. I have but the glowing, ever-present 
now, which is pregnant with opportunity and 
goodness. And as this day cannot look back into 
yesterday, neither can I bring from yesterday any 
of its storms or sorrows. And as every flower 
that blooms and every birH that goes singing 
through the long hours are new and fresh ac- 
quaintances to the day, so every man that I meet 
shall be new and good to me, a friend and 
brother. 

As he stood filling his soul full of the morning 
and the glories of the new day, a single bird 
winged his way into the liquid blue, shrilling his 
wild song of joy. It was almost as if his thoughts 
had taken the "Wings of the morning." And as 
he was thus setting his house (mind) in order 
for the day, Jethro came through the large open 
gateway with the jar of water on his head. He, 
too, had been drinking in the wonders of the 
heavens, and, setting the jar down, he stood be- 
side Abd Allah and said : 

"Look across that silver sea of olive trees, there 
in the valley of the Mount ! See how she stands 
wrapped in that bluish mist ! Is it not beautiful, 

10 



Father Abd Allah ? And see how the great leaves 
of those yellow-green banana trees sway in the 
breeze. The fragrance of a thousand wild vines 
and flowers fills the air. Is it not a wonderful 
world, and are we not rich, Father Abd, to have 
this picture ever before us?" 

And Abd Allah answ^ered : "Praise be unto God 
whose handiwork is shown." 



Now, Abd Allah was a potter by trade, and he 
worked into the color of his vases the glories of 
the heavens and of nature, and into his designs 
he painted wonderful lessons of gratitude and 
peace. He was also a letter writer, and in short, 
a sort of confessor or judge, inasmuch as those 
in trouble came to him with their problems for 
solution, and he always sent them away satisfied 
and with new courage. And, lastly, Abd Allah, 
which means servant of God, was a true servant 
of the Most High. 

Of friends Abd Allah had many, and these he 
found among all classes, from the lordly noble- 
man, in his wonderful palace of snowy marble, 
to the humble herdsman, who dwelt without the 
city gates. In short he had a breadth of love that 
reached out to all men. 

His dwelling, which contained two small 
rooms, was in an enclosed court and faced the 
east. In front of it stood a thick, bushy almond 
tree, and it was under the shade of this tree that 
Abd sat day after day working at his vases, or 

11 



writing letters, with Jethro close at hand to sing 
to Abd and play on his harp, A glance at the 
open doorway, with naught but a heavy, oriental 
curtain, immediately bespoke the moral courage 
of the man Abd, and his open, God-fearing na- 
ture, for his dwelling was located in the outskirts 
of Jerusalem, near one of the less frequented of 
its seven gates, and many considered it unsafe 
to leave their doors and windows unbarred 
against thieves. 

And oft-times, as he worked, Abd Allah told 
Jethro the story of his vase, and sometimes, per- 
chance he was starting a new vase, he would 
work into it the solution of the problem of some 
troubled one, who had come burdened with too 
much care. 

Abd Allah had learned, years before, that as 
a pebble thrown into a pool of water brings one 
ring after another to the surface until they reach 
the outer edge, so one good thought dropped into 
the stagnant mind will bring ring after ring of 
thought to the surface, until the whole mind has 
been stirred ; and he likewise knew that by drop- 
ping these thoughts into the pool of a dormant or 
sick mind, at last, when enough have been 
dropped into its depths, it will rise and flow off 
in a tiny stream, and by flowing (becoming ac- 
tive) purify itself, and, not only thereby receive 
a blessing, but water field and forest and prove 
a benefit to mankind. And though it had been 
unloved and shunned as a stagnant pool, little 
children may wade in its cool depths and scatter 
flowers on its surface. 

12 



"Love is the only active element of the Uni- 
verse," Abd had told Jethro. "Be sure you are 
filled with Love all the while ; let naught else into 
your consciousness, and as you go you will reflect 
it in some way that 'will draw all men unto you'." 
So Jethro reflected Love through song and music, 
and Abd Allah through his pottery and his well- 
modulated, sonorous voicings of Truth. But 
there are many modes of letting your light so 
shine before men that they will call you blessed. 




13 



J^rt^^r 



XT was the hour of prayer in the city of 
Jervisalem. About the gate where Abd 
Allah and Jethro were stationed many of 
the merchants and loiterers were kneeling 
and calling upon the name of their God to succor 
and help them. The little band about Abd Allah 
stood listening in silence to the mumblings of the 
men at prayer. "Tell us something of true pray- 
er, Abd Allah," said one of the men standing near 
him; "something of that for which this outward 
expression stands." 

"We admit," Abd Allah began, "that God is 
good, that He is All, that He is everywhere, and 
the cause and effect of all that really exists. We 
acknowledge Him to be the source from which 
every good gift comes. 

"Further, in the line of common reasoning, we 
know that prayer in its generally accepted sense 
means desire. This being the case, we begin to 
see that our very desires or prayers, in so far as 
they are good, proceed from God, and are not as 
we formerly supposed self -originated requests or 
petitions, but rather the urge of God (good) en- 
deavoring to find expression in us, good endeav- 
oring to be made manifest in the flesh. 

"Perhaps, for example, you are praying for 
health. You are desiring it, but as God is the 
only creator and good, in reality your desire for 

15 



'#• 



health is but the will of God trj'ing to express 
itself through you. 'God is willing to do exceed- 
ing abundantly, more than we ask or think.' God 
is 'willing' it. And as your desire for health is 
prompted by His willingness to be expressed in 
perfect strength, you reverse the proposition and 
find that, in reality, the health and strength of 
God, good, are seeking to find expression in you ; 
not you seeking to bring them into your thought. 
"If you are praying for supply, is it not in real- 
ity God's fullness seeking further expression in 
you ? Is it not the 'still small voice' calling for a 
greater expression of substance, God? God is 
all substance ; then the desire for supply is a 
greater desire for God, or God endeavoring to 
manifest Himself more fully. And suddenly you 
turn from your prayers of beseeching to the atti- 
tude of 'Speak, for thy Servant heareth', and 'Not 
my will but thine be done.' You begin endeavor- 
ing to find out what His wishes are. 

"Then our part in prayer, after we have ac- 
claimed God as all and ever-present good, is to 
relax, to let go and step aside ; literally and figur- 
atively to say 'Glorify thy Son that thy son may 
also glorify thee;' that is, make thyself manifest 
in me, fulfill thy desires. Fling open wide the 
portals of your mind and bid Him enter who 
waits without; make thyself wholly acceptable 
to Him, to use for His good pleasure, and your 
desires and prayers will find their rightful ex- 
pression. 

"Having given yourself over to His expression, 
see that no selfishness enters and tries to hoard 

16 



up His expression of Love as it passes through 
you. You are merely a channel, a steward placed 
in charge of the gift, a caretaker, but not an own- 
er. Use freely His Love as you do the air about 
you, but see that nothing clogs the channel of 
expression to others. 

"N,ow if God is love and everywhere present, 
then we live in an atmosphere of Love for 'in 
Him we live, and move, and, have our being.' Let 
us establish a better sense of this Atmosphere of 
Love in which we constantly move. First, it is 
unchangeable and all powerful, and you are com- 
pletely submerged in it and must of necessity be 
governed by it. As a fish is completely sub- 
merged in water, so man is submerged, surround- 
ed by mind, and as the fish of the sea finds his 
supply, health and happiness in the medium of 
water, so man must be fed, clothed and cared for 
by the One Mind or Atmosphere of Love that 
completely envelops him. In fact, in establish- 
ing a fuller and better knowledge of this Atmos- 
phere of Love, we lose sight of ourselves com- 
pletely, and thus in losing sight of self we have 
stepped aside and a complete healing, regenera- 
tion, or expression of Love has taken place, a 
full expression of His love has been made mani- 
fest in the flesh. 

"It is quite as impossible for man to reflect only 
a part of the qualities of mind, or of this Atmos- 
phere of Love in which he lives and moves, as 
it is for a fish to be partly dry and yet remain 
submerged in the ocean. If man reflects one of 
the qualities ,of mind he must reflect them all. 

17 



If he reflects life, he must also reflect supply, 
health, happiness and success. He cannot move 
into a place where any of these qualities are 
wanting — there are no desert places in eternal 
mind^ — any more than a fish could swim into a 
dry spot in the ocean. 

"Comes now our impersonal work, both for 
ourselves and others. As we establish a better 
idea of God as ever-present Love and fix our at- 
tention on this one quality, we unconsciously help 
ourselves and also anyone upon whom our 
thoughts may rest, because if we are submerged 
in Love nothing of an opposite nature can enter 
or affect us, and we partake of the qualities of 
this atmosphere just as the fish is naturally wet, 
not through any effort on his part; he does not 
try to be wet, he just is. When we come to the 
point that we can consciously feel that we are liv- 
ing in this Atmosphere of Love, we cannot help 
reflecting the qualities of it. We are one with 
God, for we are 'image and likeness,' and what 
shall separate us from the Love that He be- 
stows ?" 



18 



0I|^ f ^rfi^rt Matt 



e 



A.RLY on the morning of market day Abd 
Allah arose and awakened Jethro. June 
was yet young and hovered over the dis- 
tant hills with an enchanting freshness. A 
million diamond dew drops caught and held the 
sun a prisoner, reflecting the mysteries of the 
rainbow. Out over the valley, which was lavish- 
ly dotted with flowers and trees, a transparent 
purple mist foretold the coming day. Abd Allah 
was happy. He felt the thrill that only a mind 
filled with goodness can feel on the contemplation 
of the beautiful. Life was so worth-while; there 
was so much good to be had for the mere reach- 
ing out ; there was a constant tonic of youth and 
health to be drunk from the wonders of nature. 

After breakfast he and Jethro started toward 
the east gate with their small load of vases. 

"Does not the morning, with its mystery, thrill 
you ?" he said to Jethro, and without waiting for 
an answer he continued, filling his lungs with the 
fine morning air: "It is good to be alive. It is 
good to know that you are a perfect man, made 
in His image and likeness." 

"A perfect man?" questioned Jethro. "Just 
look. Father Abd, who comes there," and as Abd 
looked he saw Jaraj, the herder. He was surely 
a pitiful looking piece of humanity, quite bent 
over and in ill health. "Is he, too, a perfect 
man?" asked Jethro as they passed on their way. 

19 



They walked on in silence for a while and Abd 
Allah said: 

"Jethro, you speak some Greek, a little Egyp- 
tian and Arabic, and in all these languages they 
have a different symbol for the same numbers. 
That is, you can give expression to the quantity 
two in as many different tongues as you know, 
and while the material symbol in each instance 
will differ, the quantity remains the same. It is 
eternally two, and if every symbol that was used 
to express two were swept away, the quantity 
two would remain just the same. Age will not 
add to it nor take from it. This is essentially 
true of all realities. So is it with the perfect man, 
made in His image and likeness : the substance 
of him is perfect and good and cannot change 
though the material symbol that represents him 
may be anything from a hunch-back to an athlete. 

"Further, Jethro, when you see a column of 
figures, some perfectly drawn and others poorly 
made, do you stop for a minute and say: 'That 
two is poorly made ; I cannot give it the full value 
of two ?' No. You give it the full value without 
ever a thought of taking from it or adding to it 
because it is larger than the rest. In your mind 
it has a fixed value or substance and that is what 
you give it, no matter what the symbol looks like. 
Then is it not our duty to give to the material 
symbol of man his full inheritance, that of per- 
fection and goodness, and to look be5^ond the ma- 
terial symbol, just as you do in figures, and reck- 
on the absolute quantity and substance of M^n 
made in His image and likeness? 

20 



"What use would men have for criticism if 
they had this fact firmly established in their 
minds? And what a wonderful help and stimu- 
lus the world would receive again, to know that 
every man is perfect, just as he was created." 

"Then criticism is really 'bearing false witness' 
against thy brother, is it not?" said Jethro, "and 
what other motive could prompt bearing false 
witness against a man than hate?" 

"Yes," said Abd Allah, "Criticism is hate, and 
with hate in our minds love cannot enter nor 
abide." 

"But another good point to me," said Abd Al- 
lah, as they walked along, "is that while the ma- 
terial symbol for man may appear distorted, with 
the right thought and love he can be made 
straight and healed of his infirmities. Think of 
the symbol of the perfect man who lay at the pool 
of Bethesda for thirty and eight years, and how 
all that time he was unable to help himself. Is 
it not appalling to note the lack of right thinking 
on his part. There he lay, a son of the All Pow- 
erful, an 'image and likeness', governed by the 
one omnipresent, omnipotent law of good, unable 
to move himself. And all the while the men at 
the court were giving him the lie, and refusing 
to count him as a perfect man, until one day Jesus 
came by and saw him as a perfect man, with the 
result that the thirty and eight years of bondage 
disappeared and the man came into his heritage 
of dominion. 

"What disease or evil condition can present it- 
self as permanent when we stop for a minute to 

21 



realize that we are perfect, created so by God and 
sustained eternally by Him? 

"Was it not through Daniel's realization of the 
indestructible qualities of the perfect man that 
he escaped the jaws of the lions? He put their 
laws of matter to naught by knowing that the 
perfect man was indestructible. 

"But it is necessary that we do more than de- 
clare this truth of perfection ; having 'done all, to 
stand,' stay put: we see that though Daniel 
proved the powerlessness of the lions immediately 
he entered the den, yet he had to remain (stand) 
there all night. 'Patience must have her perfect 
work'." 




22 



Abb AUaI|*a pijilnBCplju 



a WAKE thou that sleepeth;" get some of 
the now-ness into your thinking. Don't 
wait to die to get into heaven; "Behold 
the kingdom of Heaven is at hand;" it is 
within you. 

What is heaven? It is happiness and joy; it 
is right thinking and right acting. It is making 
obstacles stepping stones instead of stumbling 
blocks. It is getting plenty of blue sky and sun- 
shine into your mind. 

All about you lie infinite possibilities. Oppor- 
tunity and fortune literally plead with you to take 
them in. Fate is the blind belief of the fearful ; 
it is the great excuse for failure and stagnation. 
Failure is the letting go of your grip. There is 
no such a word as failure to the right thinking 
man. True, material conditions may change, but 
with the destruction of the shell of an egg we 
have an advanced state of progress, that will 
eventually fly off into the great free sky, thrilling 
with joy. 

Failure to the material sense may be opportu- 
nity and fortune forcing you to make a step for- 
ward that you have heretofore been reluctant to 
take. Don't lose heart because you are down and 
out. You can always start over; there is always 
a new day. Success is not measured in dollars 
and cents; it is measured in happiness and con- 

23 



tentment. Happiness is not an elusive something 
that keeps dodging you, but a permanent state to 
the right thinking man. Have some of the quali- 
ties of a cork; refuse to stay under. 

Get plenty of joy into your thinking. Try 
singing instead of mourning. Try realizing what 
it is to be a son of the Most High, a son of the 
King. Get some of the nobility that is yours into 
your thought. Be noble. 

Protect yourself by keeping your thought filled 
with goodness and truth; if it is full of good 
there is no room left for evil or fear. Evil think- 
ing is the plague that produces all sickness, sin 
and death ; and right thinking corrects this. You 
cannot think death and life at the same time; 
either one or the other holds the floor. Neither 
can you think riches and poverty, health and sick- 
ness. Be sure then that you are thinking on the 
right side. When you are thinking right, no 
plague shall come nigh thy dwelling. 

Have you lost your material home ? Then you 
are now ready to enter into your divine estate, 
and as the synonym for home is happiness (not 
house), and happiness is a state of mind, you find 
yourself already established in your new abode, 
which is filled with large courts wherein you may 
walk in peace. This kind of home is "under the 
shadow of His mighty wing." The losing of a 
material home is like the dropping off of the coty- 
ledons of a tiny plant. The plant has lost noth- 
ing in parting with these impediments ; but is free 
and ready to grow heavenward. 

24 



Have you lost your best friend ; did he betray 
you ? This may help you to know that to lean on 
your own understanding is a dangerous thing, 
and further that God is the only true friend of 
man; that He is unchangeable and eternal; 
neither does He call for special favors, loans, 
etc., but only for fair thinking about Him. 

Have you lost your fortune? All substance is 
His, and the fact that you are His perfect child 
gives you ample supply. He is responsible for 
your sustenance; you can of yourself do nothing. 
You did not ask to come here; He placed you 
here and He will provide. He is able to do all 
things, and to prepare a table before you in the 
presence of your enemies (in the presence of 
want) . Plant your grain of mustard seed (faith) 
and watch it move mountains (doubts and fears). 

When you act, act as one having authority. 
Put on the full armor of God. Don't imagine 
that because you have a sword in your hand you 
are safe. Put on the Helmet of right thinking, 
the Breastplate of righteousness. Be "shod with 
the preparation of the gospel." Have your shield 
engraved with the words, "Who is so great a God 
as our God?" Then your two-egded sword of 
wisdom will cut through the enemy's lines. 

"Patience must have her perfect work." Re- 
member that it takes repeated good thoughts to 
be effective. One good, strong thought, offset by 
the rest of the day spent in evil thinking, will not 
accomplish results for good. Remember that the 
walls of Jerico did not fall down the first time 

25 



they were encircled; but the Israelites did not 
give up, knowing that when enough good 
thoughts were directed against those walls, they 
would crumble away, and they did. 

Do you suffer because your grandfather ate 
sour grapes ? He is the one that should have suf- 
fered for that, and not you. You, probably, out 
of your own good wisdom, would have selected 
sweet grapes. Don't let the stupid law of hered- 
ity bind you; put it to flight with the powerful 
command, "Call no man your father, save God." 
What belief of inherited sin or sickness can with- 
stand this? 

Rejoice and be exceeding glad, for all things 
are possible to the man who puts his trust abso- 
lutely in God, and who knows that with Him all 
things are possible here and now. 




26 



(Silt Mm Wljn l&mBUh 

OlNCE more the sturdy almond tree had cov- 
I ered itself with a sheet of snowy-white 
^lg^3 blossoms, and once more the caressing 
breath of spring had wooed each blossom 
and lured it from its resting place. One by one 
they had launched out from the parent branch 
and floated in a zig-zag course to the ground. 
Unconsciously the unfoldment of life goes on 
from one stage to another, and the almond tree, 
which only a short time ago stood a silvery mass 
of loveliness, under the sapphire dome of the 
heavens, caught a mellow tint of autumn, and 
again the ever active, ceaseless progress of life 
lured, one by one, the yellow leaves from the tree. 

Out over the land, autumn had painted with a 
lavish hand. Here a dash of deep purple and 
there a bank of gold. The distant foot-hills rose 
like tongues of flame against the deep blue of the 
sky. Here and there was a deep green tree which 
had not yet been nipped by the frost, and again 
in the distance could be seen the delicately etched 
branches of trees already bare. 

There was a mellowness in the air; a dreamy 
wistfulness that caused one to sit and wonder, 
to sit and dream. And it was on this day that 
Abd Allah sat pondering and dreaming over the 
wonders of life. 

At length he resumed his work. "Come hither 
Jethro," he called to the boy. "Bring your harp, 

27 



for I would have you sing to me; sing and play 
to me that I may mold some of this mystic beauty 
of the autumn into my vase, that in years to come 
someone gazing on it may take hope again." 

"What is hope?" said Jethro, for he was fond 
of hearing Abd Allah explain the abstract. 
"Hope," said Abd, "is the red bird singing of 
spring on the bleak February bough; it is the 
spark of light which the traveler sees at the other 
end of the 'slough of despond;' it is the early 
spring lily peeping through the snow. But I 
would listen to thee a while. What will you sing 
to me?" 

So Jethro, taking his harp, began: 

The wheel of the potter turns round and rounds 

Shaping his various wares. 
Some to hold water and some to hold wine, 

Some to hold flowers fair. 
Into each vessel the potter will mold 

True thoughts of usefulness. 
And thus will the thought of the potter live, 

Ever waiting to bless. 

God is the potter and man is the clay. 

He works out his infinite plan. 
Each idea has a mission to fill, 

For each is a perfect man. 

At this point in his song Jethro was interrupted 
by the loud shouting of someone at the gate. Lay- 
ing aside his harp he ran across the court and 

2S 



gazed out. "It is Haasn and his mule," he called 
back to Abd Allah, "coming over the hill. He is 
staggering, drunk on new wine." 

"Poor Haasn," said Abd Allah; "he is the man 
who resisted." 

"Resisted," said Jethro. "What do you mean, 
Father Abd Allah? Is he not at this moment in 
the power of his worst enemy — wine? And has 
he not repeatedly fought against it to no avail?" 

"Yes," said Abd, "and in constantly resisting 
the temptation to drink has he not made it some- 
thing real, a personal devil which has absolute 
power over him ? Do not the sacred scrolls teach 
'resist not?' Man is superior to matter and its 
laws, for he is 'image and likeness.' He is not 
bidden to obey every whim of the mortal senses. 
He has been given dominion and sonship. God 
is Law; and did not Christ Jesus come to 'fulfill 
the law,' not the laws, and the law that he came 
to fulfill was the law of dominion; and did he 
not say The works that I do ye shall do also, 
and even greater? 

"Remember the story of Jacob ; how he strug- 
gled (resisted) all night (in ignorance) and that 
when the morning light came (truth and light) 
he loosed the lie (stopped resisting it) and let it 
go. Is it not worth while to note that Jacob 'let 
it go ?' That which he had resisted and struggled 
with all night, and which had caused him to suffer 
he merely had to 'let go.' So it is with all ma- 
terial law. We hold to it; it cannot cling to us 
for there is nothing to support it. And when I 

29 



see a man struggling with a belief of sin or sick- 
ness I am reminded of a child holding a wild 
animal with one hand and fighting it with the 
other and then crying because it hurts him, in- 
stead of letting go of it. 

"In the case of Jacob we know not what the 
problem was, but let us suppose it was the tempta- 
tion to drink that was causing him to resist and 
fight all night, and suddenly it dawned upon his 
consciousness 'Ye do not need to fight.... set 
yourself. . . .see the salvation of the Lord;' 'The 
battle is not yours, but the Lord's. And then the 
whispered pass word, which will lead you safely 
through all evil, 'Speak as one having authority,' 
and 'Dominion over all things.' Would he, do 
you suppose, keep on fighting his temptation? 
Rather would he not suddenly find himself su- 
perior to the whole situation? 

"If you resist a thing, you fear it, and if you 
fear it you necessarily endow it with power to 
hurt you. For who would resist anything that 
he was not afraid of? We are not afraid of so- 
called powerless things. 

"Meet every problem that comes to you as its 
master, knowing that God is working with you 
and that to be of one mind with Him is to be in 
the majority, for God is all powerful. The He- 
brew children knew what it meant to be at one 
with God, and obeyed His Law instead of the 
laws of matter, with a result that the flames, 
which consumed others, left them untouched. 

"It took only a pebble (right thought) to slay 

30 



Goliath, who had become real and terrible 
through material thinking and reasoning, and 
through resistance. 

"Human will-power is the blind force which 
resists things, sometimes with seeming success, 
but only for a season. 

"The great key-note to all right work is the 
attitude that 'I can of mine own self do nothing, 
but with God all things are possible.' At one 
bound we shift the responsibility of the situation 
on God, and He is abundantly able and equipped 
to put the enemy to flight. 

"We do not struggle with the darkness in a 
room to get it out; we merely bring in the light, 
and the darkness disappears of its own self. Like- 
wise with sin or sickness, or any material law, 
we do not need to fight it; we merely have to 
bring in the absolute truth that because man is 
made in the 'image and likeness of God' he is 
eternally protected and cared for." 



31 



El)t Woman Wl^tx Wns Poor 



m 



AZA was a widow who lived in a dirty 
little hut in the crowded quarter of Jerusa- 
lem. Each day she went into the temple 
and cleaned the great courts. But Maza 
was very poor and as she passed the coffers and 
saw her neighbors place certain sums therein she 
felt poorer than before, for she had not even the 
widow's mite to give, neither could she spare a 
crust of bread to anyone. And, further, she was 
unhappy because she had no friends. She had 
heard much of the Potter, Abd Allah, and how 
he had helped others to be freed from their bur- 
dens, and one night she determined to pay him a 
visit. So, after she had finished her work at the 
temple and eaten her meager meal, she turned her 
steps towards the dwelling of Abd Allah. 

It was a wonderful night with a sky like a 
heavy blue vapor that seemed wholly to envelope 
the world. The moon had not yet risen and the 
stars were brilliant. But Maza saw none of the 
beauty; her eyes cast down, she trudged along 
wondering why her lot was so hard. So poor was 
she in spirit that she could not even lift her eyes, 
to the heavens and feast her hungry soul on the 
beauty so lavishly displayed. 

At last, after her long walk, she came to the 
lodging of Abd Allah and found him seated in 
the court, the boy Jethro playing on his harp. 

33 



"Abd Allah," she called, with a note of distress 
in her voice; "I am burdened with poverty; wilt 
tell me of riches ?" 

Abd Allah arose and motioned Jethro to bring 
a small rug for her, on which he bade her be seat- 
ed. They sat in silence for a while, and then Abd 
Allah began. 

"There is no man in all Judea, be he ever so 
rich, and though he possess a palace of white 
marble, and slaves, and gold and silver in abund- 
ance, who has among his treasures a picture as 
magnificent as you have stretched before you at 
this moment, Maza." As he said this he pointed 
to the eastern skies where a blood-red moon was 
breaking through a rift in the long silver clouds. 
There was a telling silence as they all gazed in 
the direction he pointed. 

"First, then, Maza, always feast the soul, and 
this you can do as often as you will in the day 
or night, for the heavens cover all ; and they are 
the great canvas of God ; each day is a rare mas- 
ter-piece, designed and painted for you. Then 
you are not poor because of the lack of beauty, 
for the whole world is overflowing with it." 

"Go out into the sunshine, Maza, and lift your 
hands to high heaven and let your soul be filled 
with the blessed sunshine and blue sky. Let the 
oil of joy, the sheer joy of living, flow about you, 
and forget the material counterfeit of gold in 
your appreciation of the real gold of the sun. Let 
the sunlight of strength and trust in God dry up 
the stagnant morasses of worry and care. Pour 
some of the dew of life eternal on your blasted 

34 



hopes and see them blossom forth into greater 
and nobler promises than before. Let the star 
dust light your way, instead of the dust of ma- 
terial ways cut off your vision of the stars." 

Maza stirred a little; already she felt an up- 
lifted thought, a stirring within, and Abd went 
on. 

"There was once a certain woman who was 
very poor in thought and, in a state of despera- 
tion, she cried out for help, and the one who 
heard her cry was a man who understood the 
power of right thinking. He understood where 
the true source of supply was ; he understood that 
God is mindful of His own, and that not a spar- 
row falleth without His knowledge; and he also 
vmderstood how much greater are ye than many 
sparrows ?' So he asked the woman, 'What have 
you in your house (mind) ?' and the woman pon- 
dered a moment and said: 'Only a cruse of oil.' 
Now the man who understood knew the value of 
a cruse of oil (joy) and how a drop of it had 
saved many an axle from wearing away. So he 
said to her, 'Borrow vessels not a few.' So she 
borrowed vessels (made her thought receptive). 
Then the man started filling the vessels out of the 
cruse of oil, and presently they were all filled, 
and still the cruse (source) was not empty, for 
joy increaseth every time it is left to run loose, 
and a smile an inch long may stretch miles, yea ! 
it may even encircle the globe. But this was not 
all that was to be done ; now the activity was be- 
gun, it was necessary to continue to keep the joy 
moving, so he said to her: 'Go sell the oil.' Ac- 

35 



tion is the law of progress. It is necessary to 
give out joy and happiness and not stand with 
our vessels full meekly waiting for someone to 
come to us. Enter some darkened pathway where 
there is need of joy and scatter some light of 
good clean thinking as you go, and people will \ 

find that you are not only useful but an absolute 
necessity.,, There is the biggest market in the 
world for joy, and the fewest dealers in it of any 
known commodity. So this woman went her way 
and as she went she found a ready market for her 
oil. N-v 

"In the smiling mind there is no room for wpr- 
ry clouds, there is no accumulated, stale thinking 
or care, for the smiling attitude keeps them at 
arm's length; yea, it even puts them to flight. 
This smile is not a silly, simpering, facial contor- 
tion, but a strong, clean, healthy mental attitude ' 
that refuses to be downed by obstacles. 
Ht * * * 

"And it also happened that certain fishermen 
had labored all night (worked in ignorance) 
without success, and they were heavy hearted and 
discouraged, when the voice of Truth spoke to 
them and admonished them to cast their nets on 
the right side. Now, literally, to cast their nets 
on the right side would be casting them in the 
same waters they had fished all night, but they 
knew that to cast their nets on the right side was 
merely a command to change their thought from 
one of limitation to abundance, to know that God 
is good, and that 'He knoweth that ye have need 
of these things,' for is it not He thSt 'prepareth 

36 



a table before me in the presence of mine, ene- 
mies', in the presence of famine, want and woe? 
What wonder then, when they cast their thought 
into the inexhaustible source of supply, that their 
nets were full ? 

"Maza, supply is a law of God. He it is Who 
created you, and He is responsible for you. Has 
He not oft referred to you, in the sacred scrolls 
as '-His child ?' Are not His promises kept ? Did 
He not say, 'Seek and ye shall find. . . . ; ask and 
ye shall receive ?' Is He that created you not able 
to sustain you, and that abundantly, too? Did 
He not say of man that he., was created in 'the 
image and likeness?' You are His idea, perfect 
and eternal, and will He not keep you ? Can the 
reflection manifest any condition that the original 
does not? and are you not a reflection of His 
love ? It is good to know that you are living and 
moving and having your being in God ; and if you 
are living in this great inexhaustible source of 
all good, can you want for anything? Rather 
I say unto you, reach- out and take possession of 
your divine heritage. Open the doors of your 
thought so that the streams of Love can flow in 
and out of it." 

And rising, Abd Allah continued : "Maza, what 
have you in your house?" and she answered him: 
"Gratitude and Love," and he said : "Go back to 
thy dwelling in peace and remember that Love 
freed is like bread cast upon the waters ; it will 
return and nourish you when most needed." 

And Maza went her way, a song of thanks in 

her heart and her soul full of the beauty of the 

night. 

37 



Just for today, dear weary heart, 
Give up thy struggles ; lean on me. 
Forget all worry, come away. 
Out where the silver brooklets play. 
Out in the fields where daisies fair 
Nod smilingly, without a care, 
Where poppies greet thee with a flame, 
And all the air breathes forth His name. 
Amid green pastures let us stray 
To seek and find the Perfect Day. 

Where is the Perfect Day you seek ? 

Is it in valley, stream or hill ? 

Is it in city, mart or field? 

Is it among the lilies fair, 

That we shall lose all earthly care? 

No, weary heart, it is not there; 

So far away you need not go. 

The Perfect Day is close at hand; 

'Tis in the Consciousness of man. 

Then, first, we look within the mind 
And sweep it clean of thoughts that bind. 
No room for worry, care and strife; 
No place for evil, hate or rife. 
No looking backward, just to see 
The dark, dark road that used to be. 
But open wide your thought and find 
Flood-tides of love that fill your mind. 

39 



And once this mind is full of love, 

A holy watchman from above 

Shall guard the portals, day and night, 

And put all evil care to flight. 

And peace that passeth all shall be 

Thy home for all eternity. 

And He shall come and sup with thee- 

And surely on thy upward way 

Thy lips shall sing the Perfect Day. 




40 



®I|^ Poui^r of §tbttr? 



OjNE day when Abd Allah and Jethro were 
seated at their work, two men came along 

the way madly jesticulating and arguing. 

There was strife and hatred manifest in 
their voices, and revenge gleamed through their 
eyes when looking in through the open gate, they 
paused, seeing Abd Allah, then entered the court 
at his beckoning. But immediately upon enter- 
ing they began arguing again, each at the same 
time trying to place his case before Abd Allah. 

"Peace, peace, my brethren; why this dissen- 
sion. Know ye not the power of silence?" 

"No," said one of the two in a surly voice. 
"But we would," rejoined the other. They sat 
down on the rugs which Jethro spread for them, 
and waited for Abd Allah to speak. 

"You, Hajah and Casper, are Christian men 
and have read much in the sacred scrolls, and 
well call to mind how it is written that the blessed 
Savior was laid to rest in the tomb, and that a 
massive stone was placed at its mouth and a 
guard put over it. Now what happened in the 
silence of the tomb? Jesus, the Christ, worked 
out the solution to the material lie called death ; 
he proved it to be nothing but a belief, and some- 
thing to be overcome. But note that he did this 
in the silence. In the silence he went back to the 
real cause of man and listened for the guiding 
voice of truth, listened for the Word, 'which 

41 



spake and it was done.' Could he have heard this 
Word in the hubbub of material wrangling? Was 
not this the power of silence? 

"To the mortal sense silence may seem death, 
yet how often is the ugly grub of thought chang- 
ing form and working out his problem in silence,^ 
and at the appointed time he breaks the materia! 
law of limitation and floats off in a freedom be- 
fore unknown. 

"God pervades the silence, and it is only in the 
silence that we can hear the voice of the great 
Omnipotent Guide." 

"But Abd Allah," interrupted one of the men. 
"How can we feel the Power of Silence in our 
own work?" 

"By being still, by quieting the material senses, 
one after another, and withdrawing into the 'se- 
cret place of the Most High.' And after you 
have shut out every material clamoring you can 
then hear the 'still, small voice,' which says, 
'Peace be still' to all that is unlike God, good. 
This 'still, small voice' was the voice that spoke 
'and it was done,' and it is the voice which said 
'Let there be light' (understanding), and mortal 
chaos and darkness faded away." 

"But when I would enter the 'secret place of 
the Most High'," said Hajah, "a million little 
voices clamor for admittance, first one thing and 
then another, and I cannot enter the Silence of 
which you speak." 

"It is good to remember," said Abd Allah. 'Be- 
hold I stand at the door and knock: if any man 

42 



hear my voice, and open the door (of his mind), 
I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and 
he with me.' At the same time evil is knocking 
for admittance, the Christ is also standing wait- 
ing to be let in, to sup with you. Which will you 
admit? To which will you give the most power? 
Does not the very thought that Christ is standing 
there knocking put to flight all evil and sinful 
thoughts, for they cannot live in his pure pres- 
ence? 

"Then, brethren, before you argue and disagree 
about a question, and become angry and hate one 
another, just step into the closet of your con- 
sciousness and shut the door on all material 
voices and listen to this wonderful voice, which 
will guide you right. 

"Don't squabble with yourself mentally and 
wear yourself out with your arguments, either 
audible or silent arguments, but be firm and know 
that God is the source of your intelligence, and 
that right must prevail. Then when you have re- 
ceived your guidance you can issue forth from 
your closet, clad with a newness of spirit and love 
and righteous judgment; for, my brethren, you 
only want what is absolutely right, and when you 
know that the law of right is ever operative, how 
can aught else come to pass? 

"What is so impressive as silence, and what 
carries with it so much dignity? It is the very 
essence of self-control and authority, and what is 
more pitiful than a man overcome of his anger? 
The noisy breakers beat against the shores in 
vain, they only carry with them destruction; but 

43 



the mighty silent depth of the ocean carries a 
fleet on its bosom. 

" 'Be still and know that I am God/ be still 
and listen for the underlying melody that per- 
vades all silence. It is the melody of life. It is 
the power that leads beside still waters and green 
pastures." 




44 



01^0 Ij^mBt ®!|al Btooh m iarktt^fis 



Q 



OW it happened there hved, near the east 
gate of the city a nobleman, his wife, and 
^\yj their daughter, who was called Rhetta, be- 
cause her skin was like the lily leaf turned 
to the morning dew, and her eyes were soft as 
the eyes of a fawn. And she was well beloved, 
this maiden Rhetta, and was daily found doing 
good deeds and bestowing kindnesses on those 
who were unhappy. But, the Last Enemy called 
at the palace one day and claimed as toll for his 
visit this lovely maiden. 

All the country round about grieved for the 
fair Rhetta, and a great flower-laden procession 
followed her to her last resting place. The un- 
happy nobleman and his wife were as people 
without hope in the world and the marble palace 
was hung with black, and the doors and windows 
were shut. Moreover, in time, the lovely garden, 
wherein Rhetta was wont to spend many happy 
hours among the flowers and exquisite marbles 
that adorned it, became a weed patch. Thistles 
replaced the roses, and ugly wild vines clung to 
the marbles and strove to conceal their white- 
ness and beauty. It was the house desolate; it 
bespoke the futility of human existence; and 
from a thing of beauty it had become an eyesore. 

Now in accordance with the custom in Jerusa- 
lem, the man and his wife spent their time on the 
roof of the house, which looked out over the city 

45 



on one side and towards wonderful Lebanon on 
the other. June was at her height; wild flowers 
made the hills and valleys riotous with color, en- 
hanced by the brilliant butterflies fluttering from 
flower to flower, and the birds darting and soar- 
ing through the clear, transparent air, a song 
streaming from their throats, "Come out and 
live ! live ! live !" Everything called out to the 
man and his wife to live and be happy. But so 
deep were they sunk within themselves in their 
sad thoughts that they heeded nothing. 

And it was on this very day that Abd Allah and 
Jethro were returning from the market where 
they had been to sell the vases Abd had made, and 
Abd Allah went on ahead, while Tethro followed 
with the mule. He was playing a strange little 
melody and setting words to it, to suit his fancy, 
a melody with an appealing minor strain in it : 

Life is a Circle which has no end. 

Death does not break the link, 

Death is but sleep. 

Life is eternal, naught can be lost. 
And the woman sitting in sadness, stirred on 
hearing the strange music, and said to her hus- 
band, "What means this strange youth, saying 
'Life is a circle which has no end'?" And her 
husband, looking after them, said: " 'Tis Abd 
Allah and his boy returning from the market. He 
is said to have a strange philosophy which has 
explained away many of the cares of this life, 
and he has put his philosophy into the mind of 
this boy Jethro so that he sings it and accom- 
panies himself on his harp." 

46 



"Would he could heal my broken heart," said 
the woman. So the man, rising, struck a brass 
gong and a black slave appeared. "Master, at 
your service," he said, bowing low. "Go after 
the man and boy who have just passed, and bid 
them as my guests to rest a while with us." 

* * * * 

When Abd ascended to the roof the man, 
rising, said : "Greetings to thee, Abd Allah," and, 
bowing, he motioned him to a rug which the slave 
had spread for him. Jethro, who stood behind, 
was opened-eyed in wonderment. He it was who 
saw the exquisite white marbles hung with black, 
and the great flower urns standing empty at one 
side. Nor were the rich oriental rugs lost to his 
view. All the riches in the world are as naught 
without the proper mental attitude toward real 
substance. 

The servant, moving noiselessly about, brought 
cigarettes and black coffee. 

"We have heard your boy singing a strange 
song," the man said. 'Life is a circle — '. What 
meaneth the youth?" And then, continuing, he 
said: "And what meaneth 'Death does not break 
the link'?" Abd made ready to reply, but the 
nobleman said further "Has not our beloved 
Rhetta been carried away by the Last Enemy, and 
taken from our sight?" 

Then Abd Allah answered and said : "Believest 
thou in God, and that He is everywhere?" 

"We believe in God and that He is good," 
they replied in unison. 

47 



"Knowest not that He is Life eternal, and that 
he is changeless? Then how can death happen 
in an infinity of life? Can God change, or one 
of His ideas pass into oblivion?" 

A profound silence fell upon them as Abd Al- 
lah continued: "Life may change form; the tad- 
pole in yon pool would not forever remain an 
insect, but he would enlarge his capabilities, and 
by changing form he becomes a frog, losing none 
of his former capacities, but attaining an ad- 
vanced state of progress. Does the ugly grub die 
when it changes into a radiant butterfly, and is 
that which is left behind, either grub or butterfly ? 
Would you have the beautiful butterfly, which 
had cut through the ugly cocoon and outgrown 
the narrow confines of the grub state, return to 
its former condition? And what other than a 
selfish motive could prompt your wishing its re- 
turn? It is plain that it would not be good for 
the butterfly, neither would it make it happy, yet 
it might satisfy your selfish desire for possession. 
Then when our loved ones in their line of prog- 
ress have burst into a freedom that we know not 
of, is it for their good and happiness that we wish 
them back, or is it to satisfy our selfishness? 

"Is not then death, in its true meaning, prog- 
ress ? Is it not unf oldment ? Does not the flower 
unfold at the expense of the falling away of the 
seed? Yet is the seed dead ? 

"Did not the Great Master prove that death 
was a myth, when he rolled away the stone from 
the tomb, which stone had seemingly set the seal 
on the reality of death? Did He not say: 'Our 

48 



■«»v 



friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go that I may 
awaken him out of sleep?' And then his great 
command, 'Loose him and let him go; free him 
from the winding sheets of mortal belief, which 
says that death is the end, that it is real and ter- 
rible, that it is the outcome of life. Again I say 
unto you. Life is eternal. 

''Can you conceive of God who is ever present, 
becoming inactive? God, good, is perpetual mo- 
tion, and we. His perfect ideas and expressions 
of Llis thought, are controlled and governed by 
this perfect law of activity; then inaction or 
death can never occur, though the idea or expres- 
sion may change form. 

"Who, then, knowing this law of progress, will 
try to shackle it by wishing and sorrowing for 
those who have gone before and have cut through 
the shell of materialism ? Does the mother grieve 
when her child lays aside his primer and takes 
the next book in hand? Rather does she not re- 
joice and say : 'He is progressing ; knowledge and 
understanding are replacing ignorance. He is 
finding his way out of darkness, which is igno- 
rance.' 

"What is it that dies? Is it man, the 'image 
and likeness' of the Eternal God? Is it the per- 
fect idea of God, which is sustained by Him, that 
dies? And whence comes a counter power to 
omnipotence which destroys the works of His 
mighty Hands ? 

"Are we paying the right tribute to those gone 
before when we hang our walls with black and 

49 



sit mourning, forgetting to live and to reach out 
and help others, who are here with us? Is the 
garden yonder which is in weeds, a tribute to the 
loveliness of her whom you mourn ? What faint- 
ing heart gazing thereon would take courage and 
new hope? 

"So I say unto you, my good people, take from 
thy windows these dark hangings and throw wide 
open the doors and let in fresh air and sunshine, 
and set again the garden with roses, and watch 
the desert blossom. 

" *I am the resurrection and the Life, though 
a man were dead (ignorant of true life) yet shall 
he live again.' 

''Come, Jethro, sing for us." 

I will say of the Lord 

He is my refuge most High; 

He is life eternal, and man cannot die. 

Death is a dream, in Truth we awake 

And every law of man will God surely break. 

^ n* ^r T* 

As they again wended their way along the 
street, Jethro sang his song of "Life is a Circle," 
and the woman, lifting her eyes, smiled through 
tears and said : "Life is a Circle, there is no 
death." 



50 



Sl0tl^ 



aiDGA, the beautiful, the adored, the well- 
beloved and idol of her father's heart, had 
^1^ just stepped from the white marble Roman 
bath, over which presided two statues of 
youth, supporting in their hands a lamp which 
cast the palest green tinge over the water and the 
marble fittings of the room. Her maids were 
massaging and anointing her with precious oils 
and perfumes of the orient, while a third black 
slave stood gently swaying a gorgeous fan. 

In the midst of this oriental luxury, as she re- 
clined on a long marble bench over which was 
thrown a rich piece of crimson stuff, she looked 
very much like a wonderful bit of marble, the 
masterpiece of some artist, which had been thus 
carelessly placed in this elaborate bath, save for 
her wonderful raven locks that in their blackness 
almost seemed to have a deep purple hidden in 
them, which fell over her white shoulders and 
back in great, thick ringlets. Her eyes were blue 
and steady in their gaze, edged about with long 
dark lashes, and were not unlike pools that one 
finds in the heart of some dense forest. 

She had a lithe, slimly built body, rather of the 
sinuous type, and wholly unlike other maidens 
of her race. Her haughty, thin lips and finely 
chiseled features contrasted strangely with the 
full sensuous beauty of other maidens of the 
orient. 

51 



By an indulgent father she had been given the 
sobriquet of Adoree, by which name she was gen- 
erally known. Being the only daughter of a 
wealthy nobleman, and a Christian, she had been 
indulged to an extent unheard of in that country. 
In fact she even had the companionship of men, 
and her father had left the choice of a husband 
to her own liking — a condition long since desired, 
but not yet attained in Jerusalem. 

Of suitors Adoree had many, and from many 
lands, for her fame as a beauty had been sung 
abroad. They had acclaimed her the most beau- 
tiful woman of the orient, and had eulogized her 
in song and poetry as the "Midnight of a June 
Garden," "the Twilight of the Desert," "the Pur- 
ple Mist of the Sunset." Her tiny white feet 
were spoken of as possessing the fleetness of the 
deer on the snow-capped mountain. 

Now Adoree had listened to the songs of many 
lovers and had thrilled at their praises, but under- 
lying it all she felt that there was an emptiness, 
and that their songs were called forth only by 
the physical ; that when her beauty faded then the 
worship and love would cease, and possibly soon- 
er. "Love was so fleeting a quality as this," so 
her old nurse had told her, and taught her the 
secrets of beauty, and admonished her to stay 
beautiful so that her lord and master might be 
pleased. But deep in the heart of Adoree there 
was a longing for something more substantial, 
something more enduring and stable; so one by 
one she sent her lovers on their way, and one by 

52 



one they vowed to seek a watery grave or go into 
the desert and become a sun sacrifice. 

Alas, this maiden who had all that material 
wealth could bring her, was unhappy, and she 
sighed as her maid clasped the heavy gold bands 
on her pretty white ankles. 

"For what sigh you, oh, lovely Lady of the 
Midnight?" asked one of her maids. "You of all 
maidens are to be envied, for within your posses- 
sion is power, beauty and riches ; yea, and lovers 
by the score. What more could a maiden wish 
for?" 

And Adoree, answering, said: "For love, Mis- 
ma, for love," and, pushing back the heavy black 
ringlets, she took the golden head-band from the 
maid and adjusted it herself, using the green pool 
for her mirror. "For love," she continued as if 
talking to herself ; "that is not physical ; for 
something more noble than the worship of body, 
wealth and jeAvels. Oh, Misma, is there no such 
love; is there nothing but the shifting transient 
sense of happiness ?" 

"My lady, thou art not well this day, or else 
thou art awiy with some strange dream of the 
night. What more could you wish for? Have 
you not the love of a hundred men, ready to do 
your bidding?" 

"Yes, but I have not the love of one who knows 
that love is not consuming, but upbuilding and 
unfolding." 

"You speak of the strange love that Abd Allah 
tells of at the East Gate, and there are many that 

53 



believe in it, but for me, it is naught but talk." 

"Who is Abd Allah," said Adoree. 

"Do you not know the potter and letter writer 
named Abd Allah? He is said to lift a great 
burden from the shoulders of many by his happy 
philosophy." 

"At eight bells tonight we shall go to him and 
hear what he has to say of love," said Adoree, 
rising. 

"But, Lady Fair, we cannot go alone to this 
remote hut of the potter. It is by the north gate 
and the way is very dark and some say it is the 
way of beggars and thieves. 

"Nevertheless," said Adoree, "we shall go. You 
shall accompany me, Misma." 



The night dropped down like a heavy curtain, 
cutting off the beauty of the sunset with a thick 
mantle of clouds, but at the sounding of eight 
bells Adoree and Misma, robed in heavy travel- 
ers' cloaks, set out for the dwelling of Abd Allah. 

A high wind had set in and the heavens be- 
came the playground of a million hideous cloud 
phantoms, which raced across the sky in mad 
terror. 

"Let us turn back," said Misma. "It bids fair 
to be a terrific hurricane." But Adoree said, 
"We shall continue. It cannot be much farther 
for we can see the dark outline of the great wall." 

Presently a reddish light flared up in the heav- 
ens, turned to blue and died down again, followed 

54 



by a faint rumble of thunder, and again the maid 
spoke of returning: "Oh, my lady, shall we not 
take shelter and return home, and come again an- 
other night when it is not so terrible?" 

"Misma," said Adoree, "this night is not more 
unquiet than my mind. I am weary and worried, 
seeking for happiness and true love." 

* * * * 

As they neared the court of Abd Allah's dwell- 
ing the storm was upon them. Great bolts of 
lightning utterly tore the heavens, to be followed 
by diabolical claps of thunder that were deafen- 
ing, then by a silence that was almost tangible. 

"Who goes there?" called Abd Allah as the 
women entered the court. "What seek 3^ou at 
this hour and in this storm? Are not the gates 
of the city long since closed and all men safely 
in their homes ?" 

"I seek thee, Abd Allah," said Adoree. "And 
I have come to thee through this storm, which is 
much akin to my mental state, to know of a love 
that is not physical, to know of a love that does 
not deal with passion and that will not falter. Oh ! 
Abd Allah, I am weary of this shifting, changing 
love. Can you tell me of real love?" 

Standing there before the doorway, the heavy 
cloak dropped from her shoulders, and by the 
flashes of lightning Abd Allah could see her won- 
drous beauty, and said: "Is this not the Lady 
Adoree, the praise of whose beauty is sung in a 
thousand ballads ?" "Yes," she answered, "and I 
would know of love." 

55 



So Abd Allah, in his direct manner, bade them 
enter and placed rugs for them. 

"God is Love, and since God is unchangeable, 
love must be likewise; and since God is every- 
where Love must be everywhere. God is Life, 
and God is Love; then true Life is Love and is 
eternal, since Life is eternal. Love that is mate- 
rial is of few days and full of trouble; it builds 
upon a foundation of sand. It is elusive, for the 
moment you think you possess it, lo, it has slipped 
through your fingers and fluttered on to another. 
And, lastly, it is limited and does not belong to 
God; hence it cannot satisfy. 

"Love then is universal and reaches out to all. 
It is active goodness, and is found seeking its 
'own in another's good.' Love is true service. It 
is the veiled figure which bestows its alms at 
night. It is the helping hand that lifts the fallen 
and sets him on his feet again. It is the some- 
thing in the mother's kiss that heals the wounded 
baby finger, and replaces tears with smiles. It 
is the tender word spoken at the right moment ; 
it is the sheer joy of living, of being happy and 
useful. 

"Love is pure. It is the dove sipping the dew 
from the lily chalice. It is the blue that peeps 
through the dark clouds of material sense, and 
whispers that the storm is far spent. It is the 
thrill of joy that the shepherd knows when he 
finds the lost sheep. It is the something in the 
hand clasp of a long lost friend. It is the 'rod 
and staff' that both help and guide. 

56 



"Love is giving, not hard gold, but good 
thoughts, thereby helping the beggar to help him- 
self return to his perfect estate. 

"Love is the fulfilling of the law, and God is 
the law. 

"Love is work in the Master's vineyard. Know 
ye not that the fields are white but the laborers 
(lovers) are few? 

"Love is liberty, and by loving man aright 
we can liberate him from the bondage of material 
thinking. We can set free all the slaves that we 
are holding in bondage in our thinking by loving 
them as the children of the Perfect One." 

Now, as Abd Allah ceased speaking, a breath- 
less silence fell upon them and each in his heart 
was praying the prayer of thanksgiving, for each 
felt the mantle of true love gently enfolding him. 

And Adoree, rising, said : "Love was all about 
me, and all I had to do was to put my hand out 
and take it, yet I did not know it. It was call- 
ing to me and beseeching me and yet I could not 
answer. But now I know what real love is, it is 
service; it is right thinking and consequent right 
living and doing ; it is praising God, not with long 
prayers and speeches, but with silent voicings of 
gratitude and willingness." 

And as they went their way the storm had 
spent itself and the deep blue of the night was 
beginning to peer through the clouds. And so 
they returned through the dark by-ways clad in 
the white and shimmering robes of Love. 

57 



®ljp Mm WI|n Sofit A Jmttib 



OlFTEN were they seen together, these two 
friends, Haaj and Absalom. Wrapped 
^J^ closely in the mantle of friendship they 
even excited envy and jealousy because 
of their nearness, because of the protection they 
afforded each other. They had been called Da- 
mon and Pythias, for they held each other above 
all else. But one day, into this haven of perfect 
friendship and love crept a serpent. At first they 
refused to listen for a moment to its insidious 
suggestions and arguments, but the serpent was 
not to be put aside thus easily; he was not de- 
stroyed, only cast aside, and he returned more 
subtle than before, and at length one of them 
yielded to the alluring voice of wrong, of jeal- 
ousy and of envy, and turning against his friend, 
stabbed him to the heart. Not that he stabbed 
him with a knife of steel, but with a sword of 
hate, which cut deep and spilled the life blood of 
their friendship. 

And one day he came to Abd Allah, this man 
who had been betrayed. He was dejected and 
downcast, for he had loved his friend well. And 
Abd Allah, looking up from his work, said : 

"Greetings, Haaj ; where is Absalom, for to 
see one of you is to see both." And Haaj, with 
sorrowful words, told the story of his lost friend, 
and said to Abd Allah : 

59 



"Abd Allah, thou knowest well that I laid upon 
him purple and fine linens, and threw about his 
neck a golden chain, and did show him prefer- 
ence in all things, and then, when one came and 
whispered in his ear suggestions of distrust, did 
he not run me through with the sw.ord of hate 
and leave me by the wayside bleeding almost unto 
death from the wounds his cruel words and ac- 
tions had inflicted, and leave my faith in man a 
shattered thing?" 

And Abd Allah, rising, put his arm about Haaj 
and said: "Peace be unto you. Brother Haaj. Re- 
call you not the First Law, 'Thou shalt have no 
other gods before me?' Were you not, in a meas- 
ure, making your friend a god? Were you not 
setting him up as a something to be looked up to 
above all else, even defying his personality? Was 
it not for him that all the pearls of your thinking 
were saved? Then count it not a loss but a gain 
that the law of progress has forced you to 'lean 
not on your own understanding,' and further to 
put not your trust in the shifting, changeable ma- 
terial something called man, but to turn, first to 
God, Who is good, and Who is thy true friend. 

Count him then not thy enemy, but thy friend 
for he has once again brought you into contact 
with God and restored you to rightful sonship. 

"And if he has trampled your pearls under 
foot, does it not teach you to guard with greater 
care your pearls (thoughts) in the future and 
cast them not down again? They are precious 
and if any man seek them, be not slow in giving, 

60 



but do not force them, else the swinish d«tsire in 
man will rend you. In return for your pearls of 
love and good thinking, he would cast over your 
head jets of hate and deceit. These, I bid you, 
cast aside, for they are not worthy of aught else. 

"Look yonder at the dome of the Mosque of 
Omar. See how it stands out against the blood- 
red sunset. Is it not like a splendid white pearl 
in a glass of wine ? Yea, like a stupendous repro- 
duction of Cleopatra's glass of wine in which she 
tried to dissolve the last emblem of purity that 
she possessed, that she might consume it. That 
she might consume purity and scorch its white 
robes with the heat of the flesh pots of Egypt. 
But, as with Cleopatra, though purity and good- 
ness were submerged in the wine, they were only 
hidden, and not destroyed, so with your love for 
your friend : it is only hidden in the maddening 
intoxication of the wine of mortal hate, and when 
he shall have drained the glass of its bitter con- 
tents and wallowed in the slime of his own mis- 
take he will find this pearl, still unsoiled and un- 
touched, and will prize it as the 'pearl of great 
price.' 

"Not hate, but pity, is what should fill your 
heart, the pity the Master felt when he looked 
out across the sea of angry faces and lifted up 
his eyes and said: 'Forgive them for they know 
not what they do.' 

"Love more ; that is your keynote, not the sel- 
fish human love that desires to possess, but the 
love that liberates and makes free; and remem- 

61 



ber, 'T' I be lifted up (purified in thought), I 
shall draw all men unto me.' 

"Was it not said by the Master, 'When thy fa- 
ther and mother forsake thee I will take thee up ?' 
Then can you want for a closer friend than He 
who marketh the sparrow's fall? 

"Go feed among the lilies, Haaj ; 'tis not your 
part to suffer because another has offended you. 
He is the one to suffer and will in proportion 
as you rise above the wrong he has done you ; as 
you are superior to it, it will then find no abiding 
place in your thought and return to its source to 
destroy itself. 

"Selfish human friendship is like a grain of 
mustard seed which is tightly grasped in the 
hand, — it cannot grow nor develop, and is worth- 
less. The right kind of friendship is like a mus- 
tard seed which is planted in fertile soil, — it is 
constantly developing, and while it may be the 
joy of one, it is not shut out from others. As 
there is enough sunshine for all, so is there 
enough friendship and love for all." 




62 



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